PUTRAJAYA: One new case of diphtheria has been reported in Kedah, pushing the number of confirmed cases in Malaysia from 13 to 14 so far.
Health Director-General Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the latest case involved a six-year-old boy who had fever on June 26 and three days later suffered from seizure.
"Suspecting that the boy had diphtheria, he was warded and his condition worsened on July 1, resulting in him being placed on the ventilator.
"The boy was then referred to a hospital in Kuala Lumpur on the same day. Laboratory tests confirmed that he had diphtheria," he added.
Dr Noor Hisham said there was a possible suspected diphtheria case in Johor, involving a five-year-old child who had a fever and sore throat.
"It was learned the child did not get a complete dosage of vaccinations," he said, adding the health authorities are still waiting for the test results.